Masters Matters · Steve Farrar - either directly or via your team captain. No cash receipts are to be provided, as Steve does not want to get writer [s cramp. Bookings are essential

A Blue A Gold A Red A White

B Gold B White B Blue

C Blue C Gold C Red C White

Masters Matters

Issue No 12 December 2017

Masters Matters December 2017 Issue No 12 Issue No 5

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Regular Features: Irregular Features: Dates For The Diary: This Page. WHM Christmas Party. This Page. Department of Health: Page 3. ‘A’ Division Fixtures Hips/Knees: This Page. ‘A division blog: Pages 5/6. WHM Southern Cross Reps: Page 3. From The Saturday 65s: Page 6. ‘A’ Division Playing Times: Page 4. The French Letter: Page 7. Interstate tournament location: Page 4. The Balinese Bulletin: Page 8. Brian Lester retires: Page 9. 2017 Honour Roll: Pages 13/14. Hips / Knees: Pages 11/12. Dates For The Diary: 2017: December 20th: ‘A’ Division fixtures begin at 12:30 pm on PHS 1 and are 20 minute games. December 20th: Hips versus Knees. 3:00 to 4:30 pm. PHS 1. Introductions before game. December 20th: WHM Christmas Party - PHS. 6:00 pm for 6:30 pm. December 23rd: Saturday Hockey play. Christmas function afterwards. 2018: January 3rd: Combined ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ divisions on PHS 1 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. June 20th / 30th. WGMA World Cup - Barcelona. } Australia and Southern Cross July 27th / August 5th: IMHA World Cup - Terrassa. } Australia Interstate Masters Championships. Venue to be advised. 2020: World Cup - possibly Japan. } Australia and Southern Cross WHM Christmas Party: Hopefully many of us will already have booked and paid online for this event, having read and actioned Bob Bowyer’s email. We repeat the salient points here:

The subsidised price for players and partners is $20 per head. Payment (and bookings) can be made online by bank transfer to the WHM bank account.

The BSB is 036-004 and the account number 111511. Please make sure that your name and Division are in the description for WHM - not your

own bank account. We have at least four Robinsons, hence the team colour may be helpful. If you cannot pay by bank transfer then please place the cash (or cheque) in an envelope and

write your name, division and team on the outside. Please pass the envelope on to Treasurer Steve Farrar - either directly or via your team captain.

No cash receipts are to be provided, as Steve does not want to get writer’s cramp. Bookings are essential for this event, and I can assure new players that it is not to be missed. Our

customary setting is outside at PHS, so an extra layer of clothing (jacket or jumper) could be useful in the event of cooler weather. Ed. Hips Versus Knees: Please note that the ‘A’ Division fixtures have been changed to cater for this match. We will start at 12:30 pm on Turf 1, and only play 20 minute games. The starting times are: 12:30, 12:55, 13:20, 13:45, 14:10 and 14:35. The big match introductions and game come next. Situation Vacant: The WHM Committee would like to appoint a new Social Secretary. Duties include organising our regular monthly sausage sizzle, annual Christmas party, and adopting any new ideas to provide encouragement for greater engagement of members in social activities and after hockey socialising. Backup and assistance will be provided by other Committee and WHM members. Please contact Simon Thomson or Bob Bowyer. Situation Filled: Long serving Treasurer Brian ‘Spider’ Lester has retired from the role as the only person to have done the job since the inception of WHM. A tribute appears later in the newsletter on Page 9. The new financial controller is Steve Farrar from the ‘C’ Division and we wish him well. Collecting the Christmas Party money will be among the first tasks.


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Department of Health: It was very good to see ‘Chip’ Challenor at PHS a couple of times during the month, walking with the aid of a stick initially, but no longer requiring it by the end of November. We all hope that the improvement continues. Robin Bailey has been told that he requires a knee replacement. I have not heard when this may take place, but it is possible he may need assistance with the uniforms during the initial period of recovery. Ivan Wilson returned to the turf on the 15th following his cataract operation. He said that he could see two hockey balls, and was not sure which one to hit, but appeared to be trapping and intercepting as well as ever. Les Waldon’s shoulder operation (on the 20th) went according to plan, and he now needs to start the recovery process. Unfortunately his other half Sue had a fall and broke her wrist on the 27th. This required Les to drive to Joondalup Hospital (even though he’s not supposed to) and now neither Les nor Sue is driving and even cutting up food requires a team effort as they have only 2 sound arms between them. Maxine Robinson is recuperating following her knee replacement, but is still in some pain. Ruth Venables had a hip replacement during November - Ron said that all went well and that she was able to stand on the actual day of the operation. Mal Horrigan and Scott Blackwell have both had an operation for hernia and I understand Mal will need another one (“for the other side”). I believe that Brian Soares might need a similar procedure. And I also heard that Phil Metcalf has had his prostate removed. We wish you all a speedy and a complete recovery. Letters To The Editor: The post Hobart edition did not result in the flood of stories and photographs anticipated. Thanks to correspondents John Halley, Keith Kessell, Ken Dyer and Derek Jobe. John Halley: “Some advice to all the Hobart gold medal winners from an old Italian proverb: After the game the king and pawn go into the same box.” JH also sent this. Tributes to “Masters Matters” are not usually included, but exceptions are possible. “Now hockey’s no longer my game Things lately are just not the same My life’s in tatters But Masters Matters Keeps me from going insane.” Thanks a lot John - though “Masters Matters” probably has the opposite effect on me. Ed. Keith Kessell: “Just read your latest offering in a hotel room at Cabras, on the island of Sardinia. We arrived by road last night so are looking forward to seeing the place in daylight. This follows some very enjoyable time in Naples and Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia. …... back in a couple of weeks after further road excursions on this interesting island where the food is wonderful in its quality and difference. The wine isn’t bad also!” Well done Keith - self-driving on Sardinia. Even if I cannot get around the world myself much it seems that “Masters Matters” is being read in some very interesting places indeed. Ken Dyer: Is catching large threadfin salmon at Anna Plains Station in the Kimberley. Derek Jobe: Now has a new grandchild. Hope, Travis and new arrival Zarah are all well. Southern Cross Representatives from WHM: The teams for the Barcelona TT were announced on 7th November and our congratulations to all those selected. Again I have also tried to include players from WA and WAC in the lists, with WA indicated by an (*) and WAC by a (^). O/75s: Peter Murray (c), George Bradbury, Julian Gardner, Graham Harler, David Horsley, Neil Patterson, John Ree, Brian Soares, Brian Stewart. Irene Simpson (manager). O/70s: Peter Andrews, Scott Blackwell, Ash Challenor, Peter Eastlake (^). Wendy Looi (manager). O/65s: Len Collier (c) (*), Mike Robinson, Leo Welten, Graham Wood. O/60s: Steve Farrar. Punology One: I have a friend who has one leg shorter than the other. She’s called Eileen.


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‘A’ Division Fixtures and Playing Times: During the first quarter of 2017 we extended the ‘A’ Division matches from 20 to 25 minutes to give everybody enough game time. This was done when all teams were getting at least 11 field players, with the White side having 15 more than once. Since the Hobart tournament there have been 5 playing dates at the time of writing. With four teams playing in ‘A’ Division there have been 13 team days when a colour needed fill in players, 4 team days when they could muster the necessary 10 field players, and only 3 team days with a surplus of numbers. I suggest that captains need to monitor the situation closely in the warmer weather. We have a limit of four games per Wednesday, so one fill-in for another colour means 100 minutes of hockey, which is quite sufficient on a Perth summer day. I have heard a suggestion that if we carry on with the 25 minute games that we have a very brief drink break half way through, which to me is a very sensible idea for the hotter days. On a similar theme Neil Mannolini ended up umpiring the first 5 games straight on the 22nd. This is also too much to ask in the hot weather - volunteer umpires please do not be so backward in coming forward. This possibly applies to me too - get out there and brave the slings and arrows. Life for an umpire would be much better without the constant player feedback, of course, but it appears that we are too old now to change our ways. It would be great to be proved wrong on this one. One more request regarding the starting times of the games. Could all umpires and timekeepers please note that our matches need to finish right on time even if they start late. We must have sufficient time to water the turf, particularly in the warmer weather. Also there can be turf bookings following our brief hour upon the stage, and we have to vacate promptly at 3:55 pm. On the 20th December (Knees / Hips) this will be 2:55 pm. Department of Corrections: There are times when it is better to be wrong and our announcement of Peter Hearne’s retirement is an example. A problem knee caused the cessation of hockey, but it came good in time for Hobart and as at his last birthday (05/11) Pedro intends to play on in 2018. Masters Interstate Tournament 2018: The venue (or venues) was due to be announced on the 30th November, but I understand that this has been delayed while “a few issues are worked through.” All that can be said with confidence is that the home State will be NSW. Locations under consideration still include Ballina/Lismore and Newcastle. Accommodation in either possibility is very scarce even now due to the school holiday clash - see Page 10 story “Masters Interstate Tournament Split.” So our limerick writer was prodded into action to try to cut a long story short. It’s multiple stories I hear Re tournament venues next year New South is the go But I do not know When the name of the place might appear. Quotable Quote One: These are a “Masters Matters” Christmas bonus - three for the price of one. “Toward no crime have men shown themselves so cold-bloodedly cruel as in punishing differences of belief.” James Russel Lowell (1819 - 1891) US diplomat, essayist and poet. “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” John F. Kennedy (1917 -1963). Is anybody not aware that he was one of Donald Trump’s predecessors? “Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress.” Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948). As two of my three sources were assassinated, I think we have a long way to go yet. Ed. Bonus Grumpy for 2018: In the era of a Trump presidency and fake news it is hard not to believe that Dame Edith Sitwell was prescient when she declared: “The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.” Edith Sitwell (1897 - 1964) was a poet and critic.


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‘A’ Division Blog: We are still in the process of returning to normal, if we can decide what that is. November 1st: If we needed confirmation that our current numbers are insufficient we had it. Every team was short, and we only would have had one goalkeeper if John Harper had not come up from the ‘B’ division and joined Tony Marshall (thanks Harps). The last fixture was not played due to the amount of work most of us had done. It was also the warmest day for some time. The standard of our hockey was generally not great, but as usual there were some fine moments of good teamwork. Blue lost Ivan Wilson but welcomed back Peter Dennis (good to see you again) who added a lot of spark to their forward line. White players scored four of the day’s seven goals, but half of those came while playing for Red. Gold did not have a great day, failing to score despite the best efforts of Peters Gason and Willett, while Jim Malcolm popped in a couple for Blue against White. John Harper seemed to have decided that these were enough, and did wonders against the Gold side in the last game actually played, in which Ham D’Souza added a White goal to his earlier score for Red. Goal of the day goes to Peter Dennis for a fine angled shot. It is good to be able to feature a pass of the day too, which goes to David Pandher of Red for a very good scoring assistance pass to Scott Blackwell in the circle. Neil Scaddan was unfortunate enough to be hit in the head by a lofted ball, and had to stop playing at that point. Player numbers were White (9), Red (9), Blue (7) and Gold (7). The day’s last match was not played for several reasons. These included no umpires, no goalkeepers and very few players still willing and able to have a run. Total goals (7). November 8th: Despite the return of another long term absentee in Ash Foster our numbers are still down and 25 minute games in Perth’s summer weather are too arduous to allow maximum effort in fill-in games for most of us (see Page 10). Blue did best, with Bob Bowyer relishing the chance to frequent the left wing post where he popped in three goals. Ash Foster got two for Gold, as did Peter Willett with all three players making the short list for goal of the day. Thanks to goalkeepers Ross Easton and John Harper for playing the first five games in their portable sauna outfits before they called it a day. The last game was actually played this week on a 9 a side basis without keepers and produced four of the day’s goals. The standard of the hockey was its usual curate’s egg - which means that parts of it were very good. John Mercer has nearly mastered the turf watering system but there were a few bad bounces on dry bits of the field. There were several players in pretty good form, amongst them Ken Watt, Ash Foster, Peter Willett, Peter Dennis, Howie Herbert , Jim Malcolm, Graham Harler and Peter Evans (sorry if I missed you). Honourable mentions for goal of the day go to Scott Blackwell and Peter Willett. The award goes to comeback players Bob Bowyer (reflex volley) and Ash Foster (first time reverse stick shot). Player numbers were approximately: Blue (10), Gold (9), Red (7) and White (7) plus keepers Ross and John H. Total goals 16. November 15th: Red and White began the action with both needing three fill-ins. So many players arrived late that it was impossible to establish a rational and equitable methodology for team fill-ins. As a consequence the Gold side suffered, as they had 10 field players from the start and were unable to import any stars. The Red and White game was a 0-0 draw and included some very indifferent passing. My on-field comment at one point was that the match was constipated, as nobody could pass anything. Red and Gold finally got the ball past the goalkeepers with Peter Gason’s corner strike exceeded by Ham D’Souza’s double. White and Blue had another 0-0 draw with both forward lines unable to convert their chances. White finally got on the board in their final match, which featured a good strike from Paul Robinson and a G.O.D. entrant from Brian Soares. Then the goalkeepers (Colin and Tony) departed and the floodgates opened for the Blue side, who had some fresh legs in Ivan Wilson and Ian Hill (Ivan had some fresh eyes too - see Department of Health). Blue put in several goals in the last two GK free matches with multiple scores to Peter Dennis and John Ree. For goal of the day I could not split Brian Soares (cool, calm and collected flick over Col Benporath into the top of the net) and Ian Hill (centimetre perfect reverse stick shot). There was a pass of the day too -a deflection (accidental?) from Peter Willett which went to Stan Balding in behind the defence. Stan was so surprised that he missed it. (I know how that feels all too well - Ed.) Player numbers: Red (7), White (9), Gold (10) and Blue (13). Total goals (11). /6


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From The Saturday O/65s: Please book in with Bob Bowyer for the Christmas party on December 23. # We are regularly selecting three teams and usually have one to three spare players, as well as two goalkeepers. The weather is being obliging, the post match nibbles appetising, and the drinks have been cold, varied and more than sufficient. The post-match company is not bad too. # The deferred end of winter season dinner has duly taken place at the YMCA clubrooms, and in my opinion was very successful. Attendance by partners obviously presents some logistical difficulties (particularly for those who live a long way from Perry Lakes) but added to the quality of the evening. Many thanks to the committee members who did the organisational work of arranging for the food (George Bradbury - he and Mary brought apple pie and ice cream too), Bob Bowyer (took bookings), Jim Wright (plates, cutlery and table cloths), Howie Herbert and Bob Bowyer (drinks). Les Waldon gave us his customary “state of the nation” address, and pitched in with everybody to make the night as enjoyable as all events here have been. Many hands made light work of the cleaning again. # In the absence of John Milner our next oldest player (probably) in Ash Foster decided that he could emulate John’s scoring feat last month and got four on the 18th. # Ash and John kept it up on the 25th, but shared the four goals between them (two each). # Welcome to new player Nicholas Pazzoli who played at Mods? Hope you enjoy your time with us. # The Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday the 2nd December voted unanimously to approve the Committee proposal to replace our current shirts with 3 contrasting colours bearing the WHM logo. I hope to bring you more information next month. # Could all players please remember to stack their chairs when leaving the Perry Lakes clubrooms. This means one less task for the Saturday clean-up squad. ‘A’ Division Blog (continued): The reporter appears to have lost the gift of brevity this month. November 22nd: At the start of play there seemed to be goalkeepers everywhere, but Barry Rutter did not pad up and Bill Baldwin stopped after only one game due to a painful shoulder. Then we lost Colin Benporath and Tony Marshall after the fifth game. Numbers improved a little more on previous weeks, with only the Red side needing to recruit at the start of the day - less of a problem after the arrival of Roger Partington and John Jeffries. Gold lost Stan Balding during the first match after he aggravated an old leg injury - bad luck, as he’d been in top form. They were also missing Jim Balding, Greg Black, Phil Metcalf and Ken Walter and struggled to build attacking momentum as a result. The White team missed easy goals consistently (almost all by the editor, who had a shocker) but still did best on the day. Ken Beer (White) and Jim Malcolm (Blue) each picked up three goals from the right wing, but Peter Stevens (Red) was awarded goal of the day for a first time rocket. Bob Maley, also from Red gets an honourable mention here. Some care is needed with fill-ins, as nobody should play more than 4 games. Player numbers Blue (11), Gold (10), Red (9) and White (11). Goals scored (10). November 29th: Christmas impacted on numbers, as a retired officers lunch for ex Commonwealth Bank employees claimed Bob Robinson and Mal Jackaman from the Gold side. When the first game began there were not many players on the sidelines and this continued throughout. Perhaps the less said about the standard of the hockey the better though there were a few moments of individual brilliance (one memorable dispossession by Trevor Kerr) and an occasional good pass. Blue, Gold and Red each lost one game, but only Blue were able to win one, with the other matches being draws. The goalkeepers had three present and managed to play throughout, with Barry, Tony & Colin making plenty of good saves. Good form was shown by: Blue: Peter Dennis and Neil Patterson; Gold: Ash Foster, Colin Gee (as a forward) and Graham Harler (as a defender); Red: Howie Herbert, Trevor Kerr and Roger Partington; White: George Bradbury (many possessions), Peter Evans, Roy Grant and the ever-consistent Ron Venables. Very good goals were scored by Ivan Wilson and George Bradbury, which were both corner conversions, but Ken Beer got the nod for goal of the day, with an honourable mention to Colin Gee. Ivan reckons he has vision trouble after the cataract removal, but he still knows where the goals are. Comebacks were made by Bill Williamson (which appeared to be successful) and Jim Banks (only lasted one game, but the replaced hip is OK). Player numbers were White (9), Red (7), Blue (12) and Gold (7). Total goals scored (10).


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The French Letter No 36:

We have been caught up with family matters over the past few weeks. Joelle's step-mother

died last week- she was 91 - and so we were involved in planning for the funeral which went off as well as can be expected of funerals.

Last issue I was making some comparisons between France and Aussieland on the cost of living. I also promised you some more info - so here goes. In the interests of brevity this article is going to focus on drinking and on wine in particular - other cost of living topics for later issues.

I deliberately left off the pricing of red wine in Australia (picked up by our eagle-eyed editor) as I think there are very few reds indeed that you can find for say, less than $10 a bottle and even the ones that you can find may not all be to your taste. In France, though, we can choose from hundreds of reds for less than 6 Euros per bottle. As Joelle and I both enjoy red wine with our lunch, we buy wine at about 3 Euros per bottle and it's fine. You get the occasional bummer, but you get to know the regions and individual vineyards after a while and so you get to be expert in picking the goodies.

It's a different story, though, when you go to a restaurant as there is no BYO in France. As a result the wine menu prices are pretty high and it would be difficult indeed to find a bottle under 15 Euros and with most well over that. However, the resourceful French overcome that barrier by offering wine by the pichet (carafe). These come in 250ml, 500ml or 1000ml sizes and you end up drinking the same sort of wine that you can buy for 3-5 Euros per bottle. We normally pay 6-7 Euros for a 500ml pichet. Pichets are not available, though, in the higher end restaurants.

It would be remiss of me to write about drinking without reference to champagne. Of course that name can only be used for wine produced in the Champagne region of France. It is pretty expensive, ranging from about 14 Euros and upwards. Have tasted some very good ones during my time in France. However, there are a multitude of white wines produced by “methode champenoise” - a term which is no longer correct as the EU has directed that it be called Methode Classique. These other white sparkling wines are usually marketed under the name “cremant” and so you get Cremant Alsace, Cremant Loire, Cremant Burgundy etc. You can buy these wines for 5-8 Euros per bottle.

Well, time certainly passes quickly and the Christmas season is almost upon us. You will all no doubt be looking forward to the annual hockey Christmas celebration. Joelle and I extend our very best wishes to you all - enjoy Christmas with your families.

Ian Purdie (Thanks Ian; our best wishes to you and Joelle for the White French Christmas. Ed.

Grumpy Old Men (and Women) One: “I hate to hear you talking so like a fine gentleman, and as if women were all fine ladies instead of rational creatures.” Jane Austen (1775 - 1817). This is from “Persuasion” and was not published until 1818. Where The Bloody Hell Are You? You never know what you could miss by not going to the bar after hockey on Wednesdays. It is customary for goal-scoring feats to cost their perpetrators some drinks. On 8th November they were provided by Simon Thomson, who had converted 4 times. This sparked up MM’s limerick writer, who decided he was going to keep it personal. You go to the bar and buy beers For three or more goals, it appears I usually miss Which brings just one bliss I’ve not bought in gallons for years. The phrase “sour grapes” comes irresistibly to mind. Winners are Grinners: When Ham D’Souza won a wine for five consecutive weeks a few years ago one of his winning tickets came out of the barrel inscribed “Ham again.” On November 1st we had a flashback when one of the successful tickets read “Ham is back.”


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Balinese Bulletin No 29: Musing from Bali for December.

For all of those who have the slightest interest in the weather here in Bali let me report that once again the Bali “WET” is showing signs of starting up. The sunny warm days we have been experiencing for many months have been replaced with warm grey cloudy days in which rainfall has become almost a daily event. Temperatures here in Bali never vary from within a range of 24° - 33°. Rainfall, however, generally occurs between the months of November/December through to March / April. That is not to say that we don’t get rain in the rest of the year ..we do but not consistently. Now I’m sure all of this has been riveting …… obviously not a lot has happened since last month …!!! SELAMAT HARI NATAL DAN TAHUN BARU Let me take this opportunity to wish you all down there a VERY MERRY XMAS & A HEALTHY & HAPPY NEW YEAR. Peter Hammond

Thanks Peter, and the same to you and Erin from all our readers and me. Ed.

PS: The Bali volcano sparked into new life as this piece was added to “Masters Matters”, so I thought that readers might be worried for the Hammonds. Peter responded as follows: As you asked about Mt Agung I thought I should offer some perspective on things as they are for us up here in the unlikely event that some people may be concerned for us. Thank you for your concern. No, we’re OK. The exclusion zone has this morning (27/11) just been extended from around 7.5 km to 10 km from the peak. We are some 75km to the south west and at this stage the wind is blowing any ash to the east and offshore. All of us down here should be all right … there is certainly no general panic other than that nearer to Mt Agung. I really feel sad for some 30 - 50,000 people that have been evacuated since sometime early September. They have had to leave their homes, schools and businesses as well as most of their animals. The Bali airport is closed today while they re-think the situation. The Indonesian Volcano authorities have announced this morning that an eruption could happen at any time. Fingers crossed for all those much nearer than we are. Thanks a lot Peter - we’ll all hope that there will be no loss of life this time. Ed. Test Your Hockey Knowledge With John Sanders: November’s question was: Which of these teams did not compete in 1937 at the ‘A’ grade level in the West Australian Women’s Hockey Association? a) Laurels b) Boronia c) Old Modernians d) Pirates e) Whywurrie f) Surf g) Triangle h) University i) North Cottesloe j) North Fremantle. No answers were received, even from former North Fremantle players. John tells us that the answer is j) North Fremantle, who were in reserve Grade that year. December’s question is: Which of these statements about early hockey in Western Australia is false? a) The RAAF fielded a team in the Perth A grade in 1941. b) A team called Triangles played in the top Perth women’s grades before WWII. c) May Pearce played for WA, Australia & the Surf hockey club. d) Old Modernians won the premiership in WA Women’s hockey 1934 season. Answer next issue. Shakespeare Said It: “…… we’ll forth, and do deeds worth praise, and tell you about them at night.” Troilus and Cressida, Act V Scene III. Possibly what some Wednesday hockey wives would prefer not to hear post-hockey, especially after a visit to the PHS bar. “A goodly medicine for my aching bones.” Troilus And Cressida Act V Scene X. Of course that is the main reason most of us go to the bar. Jason does very well in providing what we request, so much so that on occasions a second dosage can become necessary. “No, I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.” King Lear Act III Scene II. Advice for all Wednesday ‘A’ Division players to accept umpiring decisions without trying to over-rule them. Dummy Spit Of The Month: Even though this could be a selfie again it will be held over as befits the spirit of Christmas. Why another selfie? I ask what would you have said (or spat) if your car received several thousand dollars damage while stationary at a Stop sign?


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Brian Lester Retires: What is now Western Hockey Masters has received great longevity of service from its executive, with only two Chairmen and two Secretaries. However even this fine record is a short time compared to the Treasurer’s job, which has only ever been done by one person. George Winning, who was the inaugural Chairman said that after the initial two teams (1991) had expanded to four a small committee was formed. This comprised George, the four captains and a Treasurer who as you should know was Brian ‘Spider’ Lester. He obviously did the job well, as he’s continued in the role right up to this year, even after retiring as a player in 2014. I would have needed a sound recorder to note all the adjectives used by George to describe Brian’s work during this time. Diligent, scrupulously honest, effective and accurate all apply. As well as the finances ‘Spider’ must have been responsible to the playing uniforms for a significant part of this time, as he issued me with my dark blue Merrill Lynch shirt when I joined in 2006. Peter Hammond (our Bali correspondent) was one of the original team captains, and a long-time club team mate of Spider’s. PH was good enough to send us some more information: “In the very early years of WHM we had no need for a dedicated treasurer as we simply collected sufficient money from all players to cover the cost of the ground hire on the day. Then the management committee, of which I was a member, decided it would be a good thing to have some “money in the bank.” It was at this point we turned to Spider who was happy to handle the “keys to the vault.” Who would have thought that almost a quarter of a century later he would still be hanging onto them …. certainly not Spider. That said our money could not have been in better hands for all this time. (From 1998 to now - Ed.) I personally would like to thank Brian Lester (aka Spider) for his long and selfless dedication to WHM … and wish him well in retirement.” The quality of Spider’s services to WHM resulted in him being the inaugural winner of the George Winning Trophy in 2015. Best wishes from all of us, and we hope that you will still see you at the Stadium for an occasional Wednesday drink. ‘B’ Division Report - November: I heard very briefly from Gordon that there would not anything from him this month. It is the time of year when harvesting is in full swing, and all of us who ever worked on the wheat bins will remember the hours involved. The last I heard about ‘B’ Division was on November 29th, when I understand that their numbers were back to the proper three teams. Scoring at Perry Lakes: Earlier this year we reported that Colin Gee had started to have regular runs in the forward line, and had become an occasional goal-scorer. Harvey Davies managed to pop in a goal at some stage - and he is another very irregular forward. The latest in the saga of gamekeepers turned poachers is Jim Wright, who scored in November. The “Masters Matters” limerick asked him how long it had been since the previous time. This helped to produce: Jim Wright had a run as a forward It’s been quite a while since he scored For thirty odd years No post-game goal beers But now he’s got one on the board. Christmas Warning: The following quote might serve as a cautionary tale for Christmas. “Drinking makes such fools of people, and people are such fools to begin with, that it’s compounding a felony.” Robert Benchley (1889 - 1945). American humorist, newspaper columnist and occasional film actor. It’s sad to relate that he died of complications from alcoholism. Punology Two: Did you know that you can’t do a stocktake in Afghanistan. They have a tally ban.


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Masters Interstate Tournament Split: The suggestion that the tournament be split, & that the O/60s to O/75s play at a time other than school holidays went to the WA Masters Hockey Committee and was discussed at the national delegates meeting. To keep you informed I can do no better than to quote from Bob Bowyer’s masterly minutes of our November 22nd Committee meeting. “The WHM proposal was discussed at the 14 November WAHMC meeting and then passed to the AMHC meeting on 18 November where it was discussed under General Business. The proposal looks unlikely to be agreed in the near future because the next 2 years’ Championships for Men and Women are due to be announced on November 30 & also there is a movement to have a combined Men’s and Women’s competition after that.” The idea of a combined competition sounds all right in theory, but would appear to present some practical difficulties. It has been hard enough to secure decent accommodation at the present time without having to compete against another large tournament. Also, how would the fixtures be handled given that there were 85 men’s teams in Hobart, and 39 women’s teams in Newcastle? I have heard that there are several regular attendees from WA who have no intention of participating in next year’s tournament. I am sure that there are some strong opinions out in reader land and would very much like to hear them, whether or not they are for publication. Though the possibility that 2019 might return to WA’s South-West attracted the interest of our resident limerick writer, who wondered whether eastern states players would be prepared to pay the extra money for air fares and accommodation. If Masters play in the South-West It surely will be a good test Will they travel here? Or is it so dear

They’ll just stay at home in the nest. Certainly those who want to play for Australia will have to come over. Some of the others might, as it would be nine years since the tournament was held in these venues. Though I don’t remember the air fares and accommodation costing quite so much more in school holidays in 2010. Well Dones: Thank you to the November ‘A’ division umpires. I noted: Robin Bailey, Jim Balding, George Bradbury, Peter Evans, Peter Gason, Colin Gee, Ian Hill, David Horsley, Mal Jackaman, Neil Mannolini, Roger Partington, Barry Rutter, Neil Scaddan, Ken Watt and Ivan Wilson. Thanks also to the ‘B’ division whistle blowers, who were recorded in the Committee report as: John Lindsay, Vern Gooch, Lionel David and George Mullins - and thanks to the unknown ‘C’ division umpires. The Saturday list may be incomplete due to the MM notebook having been forgotten - those I have are: Rob Ainsworth, Eric Alcock, Bob Bowyer, Peter Brien, Dudley Burress, Colin Gee, Marty Greay, Ian Hill, Roger Partington, Steve Powles, Neil Scaddan, Simon Thomson, Heath Tyrell, and Ken Watt. Leo Welten seemed to have done most of the cooking for our PHS sausage sizzle on the 29th - thanks for that. As is customary Jason has prepared the Stadium post match snacks, and the rostered providers did the same for Perry Lakes - well done all. Past Players, Non Players and Injured Players: Our bar numbers were again boosted by people who did not play on the day. During November I noted Robin Bailey, Graham Challenor, Jeff Godfrey, Mal Horrigan, Brian ‘Spider’ Lester, Barry Rutter, John Sanders, Bill Williamson (who has now made a comeback - 29/11) and George Winning. And we saw Ken Walter at Perry Lakes a few times (he has such a long way to travel) before his comeback on 02/12. Who Knows Where The Time Goes? A bloke I know has been telling me for a long while now that he wants to read Stephen Hawking’s book. The other day he said that he’d finally got the book and read it, and added that it was about time. (For those like me, who haven’t read it, the Stephen Hawking book is entitled “A Brief History Of Time.”


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Photo John Mercer Edited Bob Bowyer

This magnificent trophy will certainly not be a bone of contention when contested on the 20th

Publicity: Well done to those doing the match organisation this year. The media release follows:

Bionic ‘Dad’s Army’ Hockey Match A group of 30 men, with an average age of 69 will compete for the ‘Bionic Cup’ in a field hockey match to be played on Wednesday December 20 at the Perth Hockey Stadium. But this is no rag tag group of volunteers. The annual event will this year feature previous state level players and even an Olympian. Don Smart played for Australia at the Mexico City & Tokyo Olympic Games in the 1960s and from sitting on the sidelines last year, didn’t want to miss out on all the fun.

“I had been putting off having knee replacement surgery but seeing the wonderful exhibition and seeing how freely my club mates were moving I no longer had any excuses” Mr Smart said. “I had both knees replaced in 2016 and have recommenced playing and enjoying hockey.”

President of the AOA, Dr Lawrie Malisano, said that such an event is a celebration of the wonder of movement and provides the Australian orthopaedic community with a chance to reflect on the significant contribution than hip and knee replacement surgery provides thousands of Australians every year.

“Being able to enjoy the freedom of movement, let alone sporting endeavours, just wouldn’t be possible without significant advances in prosthesis technology and the improvement of surgical technique over the past 80 years,” Dr Malisano said.

Secretary of Western Hockey Masters, Bob Bowyer, thought his sporting days were over after blowing his knee while representing his State at a national veterans’ hockey tournament. But after undergoing a knee replacement in 2013, the 78 year old is now just as active as ever and still plays hockey twice a week.

“People are surprised that we can still play hockey after these fairly debilitating injuries but the message we’re trying to get out is that if you put the effort into your rehabilitation and do things right you can get back to a full active life. A lot of people have said to me from time to time that they think that they’re going to have to give up playing hockey because their knee or hip is jigged but I say look at us - if we can do it you can do it” Mr Bowyer said. When: Wednesday December 20th. Where: Perth Hockey Stadium Turf 1. Time: 3:30 pm. Who: The teams include 16 members in their 60s, 11 members in their 70s and 2 members in their 80s. All players are over 50 years of age and have had at least one knee or hip replaced.


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Hips / Knees Teams: Many thanks to Bob Bowyer for this early release of the sides for the big match later this month. Best wishes to all participants, and stay injury free, if possible. Hips 2017 Age Knees 2017 Age

Andrew Robertson (GK) 65 Adrian Gabriel 60

Ash Foster 84 Bill Rochester 66

Bob Claxton 72 Bob Bowyer (Capt) 78

Dudley Evans 66 Geoff Roberts 66

Eric Alcock (Manager) 77 Greg Allen (Manager) 65

Ian Lyon 80 Nick Pereira 62

Ivan Wilson 76 Peter Fogels 67

Jim Banks (Coach) 73 Peter Jones 66

Mal Skinner 64 Peter Livingstone 77

Peter Evans 67 Peter Murray 74

Don Sanders 68 Roger Davey 66

Rob Tincey 55 Ross Easton (GK) 67

Simon Thomson (Capt) 71 Shane Williams 61

Thomas Long 65

Trevor Kerr (Coach) 75

Umpires Coordinator:

John Sanders

Umpires:

Shane Knapp (2 Hips)

John Sanders (Knee and Hip)

First Aid:

John Ree

Media Coverage: There may be some publicity generated in the lead-up to the match, and we will try to keep you informed. “Masters Matters” should be able to bring you a full match report next issue, if we can find Gordon Jeffery, who did the honours last year (I’m in the curtain raiser again).


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2017 Roll Of Honour: For quite a while it has seemed that this is the time of the year to write the same tribute to the same group of people. That changes as from next year with the retirement of Brian Lester. It is rumoured that Simon and Bob are making retirement noises too, but they will both have to organise and train a replacement first, Or in Bob’s case, several replacements. Executive: During the course of a Wednesday afternoon Simon will have dealt with any number of queries even before he reaches the bar, where many more will eventuate. He manages to cope with these, make the right decision and still play good hockey. As mentioned elsewhere, Bob has a work-load which almost equates to a full-time job. It includes being Secretary/Treasurer on the Saturday hockey committee as well as the weekly wine raffle. Brian ‘Spider’ Lester has been the only treasurer of the Wednesday hockey group (under a variety of names) since inception. He retired from playing in 2014 but has continued to run our finances. Thank you for all the work and well done to you all. A full tribute to Spider appears on Page 9. Off Field Roles: Roger Partington has continued to produce our fixtures and has handled several aspects of our turf bookings. Peter Fogels has been in control of our web page and puts the various editions of “Masters Matters” up when they are finished. He also serves on the Southern Cross committee. Robin Bailey has continued to be our efficient uniforms officer through some very dire personal events, and is probably hoping that another big re-draw of teams is not imminent. Colin Gee has taken on the care and maintenance of our player data base in recent years, and is doing a fine job. David Evans has assisted with the ‘B’ and ‘C’ divisions. Thank you to all. Team Captains: Our player numbers this year in ‘A’ division have either been a feast or a famine; in other words too many or not enough. Observation and hearsay confirms that ‘B’ and ‘C’ divisions are in much the same situation, so all captains may either be managing an extended bench, or trying to find five fill-ins in the last few minutes before a game. I trust that you’ve sometimes succeeded in placing yourselves in your preferred playing positions. Thanks to all who have functioned in this role: ‘A’ Division: Blue: Neil Scaddan (c), Ivan Wilson (vc). Gold: Colin Gee (c), Mal Jackaman (vc). Red: Roger Partington (c), Jim Wright (vc). White: Dave Horsley (c), George Bradbury (vc). ‘B’ Division: Blue: Graham Challenor (c). Gold: Bill Campbell (c). White: Peter Andrews (c), Mike Robinson, Jim Campbell, Simon Thomson. ‘C’ Division: Blue: Tony Jones (c). Gold: Mike Sputore (c). Red: Steve Pestana (c). White: Wayne Cutler (c). I’m sure that there will have been more - but I lack data. Goalkeepers: Thanks to John Harper & Tony Marshall, who both co-ordinated the GKs at times. Sponsorship: Ash Foster has been most helpful to Saturday hockey with uniforms and functions. Umpires: We have endeavoured to thank all the playing umpires through the year. The volunteers who are non-players deserve a special accolade. Those I have are: Vern Gooch (’A’ and ‘B’), Neil Mannolini (‘A’), John Sanders (‘A’), John Lindsay (‘B’), Lionel David (‘B’), George Mullins (‘B’ and ‘C’). Saturday O/65s: This competition began in the winter of2013 and has been instrumental in keeping people in the game. It is also a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The Committee functions very effectively under the leadership of Les Waldon. Our thanks for another good year go to Les, Bob Bowyer, Jim Wright, George Bradbury and Howie Herbert. Thanks are also due to Tony Marshall and Peter Pittendrigh, who did their best to ensure that we had goalkeepers as often as possible. Other Clubs: During 2017 the ‘A’ and ‘B’ Divisions have played at UWA and ‘C’ Division at Hale. Our thanks go to both clubs for the use of their facilities. Stadium Staff: Many thanks to all at PHS - including Jason and the bar staff, the ground controllers and the maintenance people who keep the place functioning.. Cooks: Well done to all the barbecue cooks and the Saturday nibbles providers. /14


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Wine Raffle: This has raised less than in previous years, due to an unfortunate combination of Bob Bowyer’s injury and our sadly depleted numbers in the bar. It still provided enough to continue our support for junior hockey via the Heat program. Well done to Bob, and to Mal Jackaman whose assistance was invaluable during Bob’s downtime. Contributors: Our foreign correspondents have been sending regular bulletins for some time now, which I for one always look forward to reading (so do quite a few others). Neil’s insights on the rules add to our understanding & I find John’s questions offer an interesting expansion of our knowledge. I have really missed Gordon Jeffery while he copes with a family emergency - I’ve never actually seen any play in ‘B’ Division (we play at the same time) and his reports keep me informed. My thanks to you all, and I hope you’ll return next year. Readers: Many thanks to all who have sent me an email this year. It has been great to receive some feedback (and an occasional kind word). “Masters Matters” has been going for 6 years; doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun. 2018 here we come. Grumpy Old Men Two: “It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper.” Rod Serling (1924 - 1975). US actor, producer & screen writer. Creator of “The Twilight Zone.” Common Problem: There seem to be several members of WHM with the same condition. There were some old blokes with a hernia Who said to their doctors, “Gol durn ya When carving my middle Make sure ya don’t fiddle With matters that do not concern ya. From The Committee Meeting: Bob has distributed the minutes of the November 22 meeting. I trust you all picked up the change to our alternative playing venues when PHS is not available. Subject to the availability of the rooms we are going to Perry Lakes, and may either play in mixed age teams or remain in our divisions should numbers permit. Those of us who play Saturday O/65s are well aware that this venue is a very good place for post-game fraternising, ‘C’ Division: Also from the committee meeting minutes was the news that our Treasurer Steve Farrar is going to use his data base to attempt recruit some more regular attendees. As I’ve said before - it would be great to print some news about the younger brigade - see email address below.

Quotable Quote Two: “There is a theory which states that if anybody ever discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” Douglas Adams (1952 -2001). English writer & humorist. From “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Check Your Details: In the last issue we mentioned that our WHM data base administrator Colin Gee had asked us all to check our details. Col has informed me that the overall response rate was around 80%, which is reasonably good. Apparently ‘A’ division did best, with ‘B’ division second. Please let Colin know if you change either your physical or email address - on [email protected]. . All news and other contributions to: John Mercer - ‘A’ Division White team. Email: [email protected]. Season’s Greetings: It only remains to wish all our readers a most Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. May all your hockey aspirations be fulfilled in 2018.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Masters Matters · Steve Farrar - either directly or via your team captain. No cash receipts are to be provided, as Steve does not want to get writer [s cramp. Bookings are essential